Retired female jockeys to cheer on potential history-maker

Racing pioneers hope Mylute's rider can be first female to win Preakness

A female jockey who began her career in Maryland is hoping to become the first woman to win the Preakness, and two women who pioneered her ability to be involved will be there to cheer her on.

Barbara Jo Rubin

Barbara Jo Rubin, the first female rider to win a pari-mutuel race against her male counterparts will ride Keep Momma Happy in the The Lady Legends for the Cure IV Race at Pimlico Race Course on Friday, May 17, 2012.

Barbara Jo Rubin, the first female rider to win a pari-mutuel race against her male counterparts will ride Keep Momma Happy in the The Lady Legends for the Cure IV Race at Pimlico Race Course on Friday, May 17, 2012.

Maryland Jockey Club/Jim McCue

As the big day nears, trainers and horses alike are getting ready to take on Kentucky Derby winner Orb, including Mylute, who finished fifth at Churchill Downs and is the closest derby finisher to Orb that's scheduled to run in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Jockey Rosie Napravnik has been tapped to ride Mylute, which will be something of a homecoming for her since she began her riding career at Pimlico in 2005. As she trains for her shot to become the first woman to win the Preakness, two other groundbreaking jockeys will be watching her run at history.

Cheryl White and Barbara Jo Rubin were two of the sport's first female jockeys.

"It's good to see people like Rosie keep making a good name for it and keep it going forward," White told 11 News reporter Kate Amara.

"I think she's going to have a good shot at running at Orb. I don't know if she'll beat him, but she'll have a great shot trying to get there," Rubin said.

The women return to Pimlico every May to compete in a charity race with six other retired female champions. Rubin, 64, rode into the record books in 1969 when she became the first female jockey to win a race in the United States.

"It was just a burst of energy, and we won the race," she said, also recalling the cheers and boos she received. "A lot of them were yelling at me to go home, make babies, don't come on the track, and saying things like, 'You've got no place here,' and 'You're going to kill somebody.'"

White was the first black female jockey. She started racing in 1971.

"I rode races for 21 years and won about 720 races," she said. "It's been a long road, but it's also been an interesting and very lucrative, fun road."

The ladies said their fun now consists of picking out the proper spectating outfit for Preakness Day. But in between the wardrobe changes, the conversation inevitably turns to horse racing.

"It's in my blood. I was born into it, and I'm going die into it," White said.

While horse racing remains a male-dominated sport, the ladies said things have changed since they began their careers.

"I think it's opened up a lot for women. Back then, they wouldn't even let us come on the race track," Rubin said.

The charity race White and Rubin take part in, called Lady Legends for the Cure, consists of an elite group of eight retired female champion riders who will race to raise money and awareness for the fight against breast cancer. It's scheduled for Friday at Pimlico.